Test-Bed Studies Examine PoE

Abstract

As LED lighting efficacy has steadily improved, and as Power over Ethernet (PoE) standards have evolved to support larger loads, PoE has become viable for an increasing number of lighting devices and applications. As a result, a growing number of lighting manufacturers are introducing PoE lighting systems, making this a potentially disruptive technology. Such systems typically promise enhanced energy management capabilities including accurate reporting of energy use-but we're in the early stages of adoption and there is still a lot we don't know. For example, how exactly is energy use being reported? Which system components are included in reported energy? Is energy loss in PoE cables and connections being reported? Do PoE lighting system architectures vary, and if so, how does that affect their energy use?